Even if I wanted to go out and look, I wouldn't be able to, furious to see that one of my neighbours has blocked me in – fuming!

Asked neighbour to move his car and whizzed off to the coast. Crazy I know, but I just had to go! I arrived at Cley at just after 1am and parked up at Coastguards – I stayed until 3am, but very sadly I was too late. All black skies, missed it all. Really annoyed as I didn't know the Northern Lights would be on show this evening until it was too late. No one I know phoned or texted me either – chance in a lifetime, gone.

I have always allowed comments to be published on my blog without checking them first, but sadly because of an increased amount of crappy, inappropriate comments, which have nothing to do with my posting whatsoever, I have to change this. Unfortunately because of the huge number of views my blog has daily, sad individuals see this blog as an effective way of advertising their dodgy websites. Well – NO MORE!!!! I have changed comments in my settings so that I can check them out first, before they are published. This is a pain in the backside for those of you that want to comment, as you will now have to type those stupid letters and numbers into the box to prove you are 'not a robot' as it says! Sorry about this, but I have no choice.

Saturday, 22 February 2014

Up late because of last's night's celebrations, so didn't get out of the house early, which was a pity as it was a gloriously sunny day. Can't burn the candle at both ends at my age!!! Oh well, at least next weekend I'm not working and there are no social events, so no excuse to get out!

To be honest I didn't see that much anyway – too late in the day. Stayed local and went to Titchwell RSPB. Good numbers of Avocets – at least 50+ when I attempted to count them. At least three Cettis Warblers were heard singing which was nice and also four Pintail along with the usual waders. From the Fen Hide I saw a Bittern flying across the reed bed and four Marsh Harriers in the roost. A snipe was feeding on the pool edge and a blackbird was gathering nesting material! Along the Fen Hide path I saw both Great and Blue Tits, Robin, Hedgesparrow and also Moorhens paddling in a small pool in a clearing.

Visited parents on the way home and went to buy mother some sticks from the farm along the Ringstead Road, though I see that it's up for sale, so the cheap sack of sticks for £2.50 will be no more soon! Will need to find a new supplier. Mother said she had seen a bumble bee today.

I really need to go and see this Rough-legged Buzzard which is being seen at Ongar Hill, King's Lynn, but unbelievably I don't actually know where Ongar Hill is, so need to this find out!

Friday, 21 February 2014

Rachael is an Occupational Therapist in our team and is leaving on Monday to return to Ireland. The leaving celebrations started with her being thrown in the pool, fully clothed at the end of the day, which of course she wasn't expecting!!!

Dinner at the Dukes Head Hotel, King's Lynn for around twenty people, which was very nice and then onto Kudos in town for some serious dancing and drinking for some of us. I decided to be sensible and drive. Rachael, Cilla, Matt, Hilary, Sarah, Luc, Scott and I had a cracking night. Five of us left in the end and we all left at 1am.

She's a big character and will be very much missed by our team – we know she will come back to visit though.

SLIMMING WORLD
I lost another 1lb at Slimming World tonight and also won a raffle prize! Cooked Country Vegetable Soup and Lentil Shepherd's Pie – scrumptious! This is the easiest diet ever, shouldn't have any problems in trimming down this year at all.

Don't get excited, I wasn't out for long!!! I have been at work for most of the day, but we finished earlier than expected at 3pm. So – I whizzed home, changed, and with birding gear in boot, cruised to Holme.

I haven't been to Holme Marsh Reserve for quite awhile, so was really looked forward to my mini birding excursion here. The track to the small carpark was an absolute mud bath. From the carpark, I saw a Barn Owl flying along the public footpath. It was around 4.20pm when I arrived and it was still beautifully sunny. It's so wonderful to see the evenings getting lighter.

As I walked along the path to the hides I could see several moorhens, coots and mallards in the small pools just before the kissing gate. I sat in the first hide and waited patiently for something exciting to appear, but it was a bit late in the day now for anything. A Grey Heron flew over Holme marsh. Mute Swan on the pool, Mallards, a Wren, Blackbird and that was about it!

The second hide was slightly more productive with 2 Little Grebes who seemed to be diving simultaneously, 2 Marsh Harriers and 2 boxing hares! I returned to the first hide for a short while where I met and chatted with another birder. It was freezing cold, once the sun had set – walked back to my car.

Went to visit my parents briefly. Mother told me about a lovely little incident she had been lucky enough to witness this morning: a hedgesparrow was sitting on the kitchen window ledge, looking into the glass, singing and serenading itself for ages!

Saturday, 15 February 2014

It was still quite windy this morning, but it was nowhere near as strong as it was last night!

Lunch at The Three Swallows pub in Cley with a few birders to celebrate Eddie's birthday (this Monday) which was very nice. No sign of the Glossy Ibis with the curlew in the flooded field near the pub, when I cruised past. An ivy covered tree had fallen across one of the roads in Cley.

Went to the Cley NWT Visitor Centre to collect three fabulous photographs of Richard Richardson that a VERY kind birder had left for me – thank you so much! Had a brief chat with Pat and then went to Coastguards.

Pete S. was seawatching outside the shelter. I ducked down and sat inside and found that it was really quite cosy in here and sheltered from the wind. Kneeling or sitting on the now raised shingle provides better views of the sea than there was before! Only works if you are under 6ft though! We saw 6 Fulmars going both east and west, Great Crested Grebe, Guillemot, several Cormorants and an auk sp.

Went to the Cley VC for a pot of tea and then went to Bishop's Hide. Big flock of Lapwing and Golden Plover, at least 8 Dunlin, a few Shelducks and 2 Marsh Harriers. We were then treated to a Merlin, which flew low over the pool west and scattered most of the birds. Pete then went home.

I parked the car in the East Bank carpark and walked along the East Bank and back again. The huge reed clumps from the storm surge are still strewn along the path. Spitting with rain and light disappearing fast at 5.20pm. Saw 4 Marsh Harriers over Arnold's Marsh and 5 Little Egrets flying to roost, that was about it.

I could hardly open the door this evening when I returned home. There
were so many valentines cards stacked up on the mat!!!!!!!!!! Note
Sarcasm!

Not a single card – sad face! Bovered? No, not really......whatever!!!

I left work and spent 45 minutes gridlocked in traffic at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Finally got out of the hospital grounds at 5.30pm. Whizzed over to Watton to Advanced Camera Services to collect my lens (which I dropped in on Tuesday evening). The drive out
there was pretty scary, I encountered several flooded roads on route. I
now have my Canon 300mm lens back, repaired and working – wahooo!!!!!!
Ready for the Spring! New Power Diaphram, Gro Unit, IS Unit, so it should be perfect now!

Very strong winds and heavy rain late afternoon and still now at 9pm. Rubbish weather again for tomorrow, but sunny and dry spells on Sunday (when I am working!)

Thursday, 13 February 2014

"It's not often the worlds of style and wildlife collide, but with London
Fashion Week and National Nestbox Week both starting on 14 February,
the RSPB and the British Fashion Council decided to join forces.

Eleven top names from the British fashion industry have put their
unique stamp on a plain, unloved nestbox, all in the name of giving
nature a (more stylish) home. The results are as diverse and amazing as
nature!

And now is your chance to own one of these unique, never-to-be-repeated special bird hotels for yourself."

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

• Winds of more than 100mph are battering west Wales and north-west England.• The Met Office has issued its first "red warning" - meaning there is a "risk to life" - of the winter.• Transport has been widely disrupted and tens of thousands of homes have lost power.

The Eastern Daily Press reports on the STORM today in Norfolk HERE and report the following:

"Spells of heavy rain and gale force winds have been forecast for the
East of England from Friday into the weekend, contributing towards
making this the wettest winter in 250 years in England"

Serious gales here in Norfolk this afternoon and evening. The car was
rocking when I was driving out to see a patient in the community at
work. It's a good job we havn't got north winds with these 100mph gales,
the rest of our already battered coastline from the 5th December Storm
would be completely wrecked. Shocking, looking at the footage of the
floods and devastation elsewhere in the country and it going to get worse before it gets
better.

My first weigh-in at Slimming World tonight – I lost 3lbs! You can eat so much food on this diet, tons better than Weightwatchers, very pleased! No counting points, just selecting from the Free Foods list and the 'A' and the 'B' list – simples! It does mean however, that you have to cook from scratch, no pre-packed/frozen meals allowed, which is of course what we should all be doing anyway. Sadly it doesn't list cheese scones, chocolate, cakes, crisps or anything else naughty as an option though! Climbing that ladder to a new me!

Here are the pictures with very kind permission from the photographer. Please note these pictures are the copyright of the photographer (as are all pictures) and are not be used in any way without permission.

I
have changed the layout and style (slightly) of my Norfolk bird news
this evening. Ideally I would like to type the place names first, but
that takes much longer to do when you are gathering information from the
RBA website and to be honest I just don't have the time. For those of you that are not subscribers of RBA, you can't 'cut
and paste' from their website, so everything has to be typed up from scratch.

Also I have had on the odd occasion, requests for
more detail on each sighting, but I don't do this for several reasons – one of which is that I feel that it would be unfair to RBA and their paying subscribers to type every detail. This way, it gives visiting birders/locals etc a rough idea of what
birds are about and where. If people want more details, it will encourage them to subscribe to the RBA website! I do however, write the details (and more) of a rare or mega in Norfolk!!!

Other Norfolk Bird News• My mother had a possible GOSHAWK
over her house at Holme today at 12.10pm. She described it as long-tailed and broad winged, flying high and heading towards Old Hunstanton – it was 'on a mission'. It's calls were 'gull like' .... ka ka and like a 'wining call'. 'Like a giant sparrowhawk'. Can't think what else it could have been really. She phoned and alerted Holme NWT Warden Gary Hibberd, but he had not seen this bird.

• A local birder texted me to say he had a SWALLOW at Swaffham this morning! I noticed on BIRDGUIDES that Swallows have been reported in Sussex today! So things are on the move!

Sunday, 9 February 2014

I'll have serious birding withdrawal symptoms by the end of the week, as I have not been birding at all this weekend! Just didn't happen, been busy with other stuff. Spent Saturday, spring cleaning kitchen cupboards, massive shop for new foods and ingredients for my new diet, birthday present shopping for my mother and sister Lucy.

Happy Birthday to my Dear Mother today! Family day with both my sisters and parent's at Holme to celebrate Mother's birthday. I cooked the dinner and did some fancy desserts (Slimming World recipes!). Even if I had wanted to twitch the Myrtle Warbler, I would not have cancelled mother's birthday and it's Monday tomorrow, so unless it hangs around and I get the urge next weekend, it's not going to happen! Back at my house this evening I made some scrumptious lentil and vegetable soup. All exciting news from me on this blog........not!!!

Other NewsMEGA! MYRTLE WARBLER still in garden at undisclosed site at County Durham. Access arrangements are being negotiated.MEGA! AMERICAN COOT remains at Loch Flemington, Highland, ScotlandRED-FLANKED BLUETAIL remains in Marshfield, Gloucestershire

Other NewsMEGA! MYRTLE WARBLERon 27th January at unknown site on
feeder in garden (photographed), County DurhamMEGA! AMERICAN COOT remains at Loch Flemington, Highland, ScotlandRED-FLANKED BLUETAIL remains in Marshfield, Gloucestershire

"Scientists have discovered the earliest evidence of human footprints
outside of Africa, on the Norfolk coast in the east of England. The footprints are more than 800,000 years old and were found on the shores of Happisburgh. They are direct evidence of the earliest known humans in northern Europe. Dr Nick Ashton of the British Museum was part of the team that found the footprints."

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